


Babies Solve Everything

by Piff



Series: Alpha Beta Oh no.. [1]
Category: Creepypasta - Fandom
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anti-Smut, Attempted Suicide, Depression, Human CP CHaracters, M/M, Mpreg, No Smut, Non-Linear Narrative, Postpartum Depression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2020-05-02 07:43:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19194643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Piff/pseuds/Piff
Summary: Laughing Jack's bondmate falls sick, and all the doctors can suggest is for them to have a baby. That's what Omegas are for right? Babies solve everything!Eventually.Maybe?





	Babies Solve Everything

**Author's Note:**

> Taking a tiny break from my main fic for an idea that's been lurking in the back of my head for a while now. It's not necessarily a _happy_ piece but... *Shrug*
> 
>  
> 
> .

Liu let himself into the house, tucking the keys into a pocket with a grimace. Laff had sounded rather desperate that morning on the phone, pleading with Liu to check on his brother during his lunch. How fitting that today was cloudy with a chance of rain, it certainly fit Liu’s mood of not wanting to be here.

Liu liked Laff though, he was a good guy who rarely asked for favors. So here he was.. checking up on the asshole Laff had mated with. His brother.

Finding Jeff was easy enough once Liu was inside the house, the Omega was laid out on the living room floor and staring up at the ceiling blankly.

The baby was nearby in some sort of rocking swing that hummed as it slowly swayed. He looked fast asleep and content enough which explained the eerie quietness of the house. No music, no tv, the air was as still as the grave.

“You look like shit,” as Liu tucked his hands into his coat pockets. He frowned when Jeff didn’t even seem to notice he was there.

It was true though, the areas under Jeff’s eyes were like deep purple thumbprints. He’d lost weight during the pregnancy but even now after the birth he was nearly skeletal with the extra fabric of his clothes puddling around him. If it wasn’t for that Liu could see his chest moving up and down he’d have sworn his paler-than-usual brother was dead. It made the hairs on the back of Liu’s neck bristle in alarm.

“Goddammit.. Come on..” He grabbed Jeff by the arm, relieved to see that this seemed to wake the haggard Omega up at last, and dragged him up to his feet. “You’re taking a shower and I’m going to make lunch. Jesus Christ Jeff.” Laff had managed to leave the house this morning? Liu had honestly thought better of the Alpha.

Lunch was put on hold for a while, Liu wasn’t sure if Jeff would be able to manage a shower without falling over and killing himself. Laff owed him, big time. Liu just hoped he would hear the baby if something happened while he got his brother cleaned up. 

It was still unnerving how silent Jeff was being. He hadn’t actually said a word yet, just stared at Liu with dulled blue eyes. Jeff hadn’t looked this defeated since they were small. Before Jeff decided if the world was going to be against him then he’d be against the world.

 

\--

 

“How could you DO this to me?” Jeff balled up his fists and pressed them against his eyes. He shrugged his shoulders roughly to get out from under Laughing Jack’s hands. 

“Jeff.. Baby..”

“Don’t fucking SAY THAT!” 

Laff wrapped his arms around the red-faced Omega. He tightened his grip as Jeff tried to throw him off, picking the smaller man right up off his feet as Jeff continued to rage against the hold. Laff carried him over to the couch, sitting and pulling Jeff down with him to sit on his lap. 

He didn’t have the energy to fight for long, and Jeff sagged against him with ragged breaths. “Don’t make me do this,” he whispered.

“Ba- Jeff, we don’t have a choice. Your body is trying to kill you.”

“I don’t want to! Don’t I get a _choice?_ ”

Laff clutched his mate tightly, pressing his face into Jeff’s hair. Jeff’s hormones were out of control, furiously demanding that the Omega be bred. His heats were lasting longer and getting more intense, when he wasn’t in heat he ran a fever that was starting to verge on dangerous. His feisty little mate was exhausted, skin and bones, and at the end of his rope. “I’m sorry. I’m... sorry.”

Jeff needed this. The doctors were insisting that it was the only thing that would get his hormones back under control after so long on the suppressants. All Laff could do was trust the people who were supposed to want to help.

 

\--

 

“Awwwww!”

Toby was perfectly content to sit on the floor by the coffee table, letting the baby grab his fingers and hold on tight. 

“What a little button nose! Aren’t you a lucky little guy!” Considering.. You know… Jeff had a small snub nose and L had one thousand miles long. This one was a perfect mix of the two.

Tim rolled his eyes. He exchanged a look with Brian over Toby’s head, holding up three fingers. Brian shook his head, holding up one finger and then crooking it. The pair grinned at each other and shook hands behind Toby’s back.

Laughing Jack came loping back with the bottle then, long legs stepping over the coffee table to sit next to Tim. “Uh..” Whoops. The baby carrier was on the other end of the table with Toby. Laff frowned at the empty space in front of him, tired eyes unable to focus.

“Dude… need a hand?”

What Tim meant to do was move the carrier so Laff could feed the infant. Instead, Laff handed him the bottle, then sank back into the cushions and closed his eyes. 

Tim looked at the bottle, then at the baby, then at L.J. Before he could ask though, Toby leaned over and took the bottle for himself. For the baby that is. “I got this!” 

“When the heck did you become the Baby Whisperer?” Brian asked. Toby seemed pretty damn confident and yet Brian couldn’t recall Toby ever being around kids, much less babies. Toby just cooed down at the infant cradled in one arm, chugging away at the bottle like a champ.

Tim had the intelligence to not remark about Omega’s having instincts. Not with..

“How’s Jeff?”

Laff sighed. He slowly opened his eyes and sat up. “He’s sleeping. The doctors want to see him every week to make sure he’s gaining weight and that his levels are still going down, but they won’t put him back on his medication until the baby’s been weaned. I told them we’re bottle feeding but they just..” He slouched back down into the cushions. “They say postpartum depression is perfectly normal and he’ll snap out of it. Just like everything else.”

Tim hissed softly between his teeth. Last time he’d personally seen Jeff had been before he’d been put on complete bed-rest, a month or so before the birth. Jeff had looked dead on his feet, too thin and too pale and too quiet. Didn’t sound like things were getting any better.

“Liu still coming by to help?”

“An hour or so in the afternoon. He thinks we need to start looking for someone more long term though.” L rubbed his hands against his legs, not looking at Toby or his son. “...he doesn’t think Jeff should be left alone with the baby too much.”

That was pretty damn ominous. But before Tim could offer a suggestion, one came from the other end of the table.

“I’ll babysit! Or nanny. Or whatever. I got time and Jeff could use some cheering up right? I’ll bring my PS3 over and set him loose on World of Warcraft trolls while I play with the baby.” Toby sounded far too cheerful about it for his partners liking, making Brian frown.

“You’re supposed to be studying, not playing video games. I thought you wanted to graduate sometime this decade?”

“Eh. Most of my teachers expect me to take time off since it’s spring. No one takes an Om- no one takes me seriously anyways. I’m just such a fun loving guy looking for an adventure, not really the studying type. Besides, what good would a college degree do for me?” 

Toby looked up to give him a crooked little smile. His orange tinted glasses made his expression a little difficult to figure out, but Brian managed. And frowned harder.

Tim reached over to gently touch him on the shoulder. They’d talk about it later.

“I’d need you here pretty early in the day,” L.J started cautiously. “And I don’t get home till.. Five? That’s a long time to spend here.” He blinked a few times. “I’d pay of course! That’s.. What’s the going rate for a nanny?”

Toby shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Jeff’s my buddy, it’s the least I can do. We’ll talk later when things pick back up at the parlor. Ooo you can give me a tattoo in payment! That’ll be awesome!”

“NO!” yelped the Betas in unison, Brian and Tim’s heads going up in horror.

Laff managed a small smile as Toby cackled.

 

\--

 

It made Laughing Jack’s heart hurt to see the terror in Jeff’s eyes. 

The Omega’s heat was starting to kick in, and they both knew that by the end of the week Jeff would be pregnant. Too tired to be angry, too depressed, Jeff rolled over and buried his face in the pillows making up the nest.

Laff climbed onto the bed and curled up behind him, stroking his hair gently. “It’ll be alright. Just think, this time next year you’ll be back in the field and traumatizing a whole new set of paintballers.” He clutched his mate closer as Jeff’s shoulders shook.

Jeff had loved his job, _loved_ it. While he ran the classes and played referie on the field during home tournaments, Jane would do the paperwork and scheduling. It had been a great partnership, together they ran one of the most popular paintballing sites in the area.

Until he got sick.

And then sicker. 

Realizing he could no longer keep up with the players had nearly broken Jeff’s heart. Putting his motorcycle away when the dizzy spells got worse had been the nail on the coffin. Jeff was miserable and depressed and some mornings he couldn’t even crawl out of bed.

The first time Laff had ever laid eyes on Jeff, it had been right after a very successful paintball tournament some years ago. There weren’t many competitive sports that would take on an Omega, especially one so mouthy and headstrong, but not only had they allowed Jeff onto the team, they had _won_ by a margin so wide it was almost ridiculous. Therefore it was especially important to Jeff to mark the occasion with something small but permanent. 

That’s where ‘Laughing Jack’, the cheeriest tattoo artist in the city, came in.

It was love at first sight. Sort of.  
.  
A very, very one-sided love since Jeff wanted nothing to do with the freakishly tall Alpha other than getting his tattoo done. It took a couple hours of wheedling and a hefty discount to get him to agree to a date.

Even so, the only reason Jeff kept his side of the bargain was because his friends thought it was hilarious. (Never trust a Beta, they couldn’t resist a little matchmaking.)

Somehow, in his goofy yet charming way, L.J. made it worth his while to agree to a second date. And a third. Not many Alphas could (or would) tolerate an Omega who refused to submit, and Jeff had tried really hard to push all the typical Alpha Buttons, and yet… there they were. 

Strangers to Boyfriends to Bondmates, and soon to be expecting a baby. Happy ever after.

 

\--

 

“That is the most horrifically adorable thing I have ever seen,” Toby laughed. It took him less than ten seconds after Laff and Jeff had arrived to have the baby out of his carrier. The 2-month old was (surprisingly) all dressed up for halloween with a little beanie knitted to look like an exposed brain and a onesie painted to look decayed. 

“Oh my god, you are too cute!” as the baby squealed back at him and made grabby hands for Toby’s glasses. Toby blew a raspberry against the baby’s cheek, making him squeal some more.

Toby wanted one. Badly. Tim and Brian might have joked about how Toby would obsess over the idea for a month or so, but neither had realized Toby would actually be serious about it. Defeated by the school administration (again) Toby had a lot of time on his hands and spending most of it with Jeff and the baby weren’t helping.

That’s not to say Brian and Tim weren’t enjoying the attempts so far… but for a Beta (or two) to get an Omega pregnant was going to take a lot of time. And luck. In all reality, it wasn’t exactly a common event.. something that made Brian and Tim uneasy as Toby babbled at the infant.

They traded a quick glance before turning to the newly arrived couple. “You’re looking.. better,” Tim observed as he looked Jeff over.

The omega dressed as a bloodied zombie victim slowly looked up at him, blue eyes slightly glazed over. Jeff didn’t respond to the kindly meant words, but shrugged a shoulder. Laff hovered right behind him, completing the family theme in his zombie-killer outfit.

“He should probably sit down…”

“Here, let’s take this to the living room,” and Brian delicately took hold of Jeff’s elbow to lead him out of the entryway. Even through the coat he could feel how thin Jeff had gotten. Poor guy was just about skin and bones.

Toby followed after them, leaving Tim and Laff standing at the door. They both waited until the others were out of sight and hearing… “Jesus. I thought you said he was getting better?”

“Technically... he is? Or so the doctors keep insisting. On paper he’s stabilizing, his numbers are going down to reasonable levels and he’s mostly healed from the c-section.” Laff leaned against the door with a sigh. “They still aren’t happy about the bottle feeding, but since he’s having trouble gaining any weight back they’ve finally agreed its for the best.”

Tim struggled to see how anyone could look at the gaunt Omega and think he was doing ok. When he compared the Jeff of now to what he’d been like last year.. Christ. “It scares me some days, when I think about how they’d treat Toby if he ever got sick.”

“Yeah.. tread carefully if that happens.” Laff smiled bitterly. “But.. uhh.. there’s this specialist I found on google. He works with ‘problematic’ Omegas and Suppressed Heat Syndrome. Some of the cases he’s seen have been a lot worse than ours, but Jeff is pretty near the top.”

“Why the hell didn’t they send you guys to him in the first place?” Tim whispered furiously. “All this time and there’s a guy who could have _actually helped_?”

Laff shrugged helplessly. “There’s a certain process I guess? Jeff didn’t count as a problem until now, because the doctors were so sure the pregnancy would fix him. Doesn’t matter what he wanted or what I wanted, as far as they were concerned Jeff is an Omega and Omegas need to have kids. And..”

“And?”

“We’d have to go to Germany. Our insurance won’t cover it either, because as far as the bureaucrats are concerned he has been ‘fixed‘ cause the numbers on his charts are looking better. Mentally, he’s three steps from hanging himself and there’s nothing I can do to help,” Laff finished grimly.

Tim stared at him blankly. “....well shit.”

 

\--

 

Laff grimaced to himself as an internet quote wandered through his mind. 

_Instructions unclear, dick stuck in a fan._

This was why he preferred IKEA, simple and easy to read instructions with lots of pictures. He’d meant to be done before Jeff got up from his nap, but Laff was still trying to puzzle out how to connect the drop-railing when the Omega showed up in the doorway. 

Laff couldn’t let go of the crib or else he’d drop the piece or the screws and have to start all over again. “Hey babe. Hungry? Just give me a few minutes and I’ll make some lunch. Sandwich sound good?”

Dressed in Laff’s much larger clothes, Jeff looked like a malnourished child off one of those charity commercials. Pale blue eyes gazed around the small room, the various pieces collected for the comfort of the baby. A crib mostly assembled, a changing table, a rocking chair. 

Jeff’s mother had sent a bundle of pink and blue balloons last week, with a huge gift basket of baby clothes and plush toys and a Making Memories baby book. Laff was suddenly thankful he’d gotten rid of the evidence before starting in on the crib. 

“...I don’t want that in the house.” 

“We.. kind of need it, babe.” 

“I don’t care.”

Laff sighed, and tried to set the railing down on the floor without dropping the screws awkwardly cupped in the same hand. Except he’d forgotten he’d been holding up the rest of the crib by pinning it between him and the rail, and in putting it down collapsed the whole set-up like a house of cards.

“Shit.”

Aaaand there went a handful of screws as Laff tried to grab for the falling footboard as it detached from the side boards to hit the floor with a cartoon-like smack.

He glared at the mess of boards and rails and springs and small plastic locks that now littered the floor. Laff was seriously tempted to kick the mess but- 

Jeff laughed. It was a small laugh, more a giggle than a laugh, but it made L’s head go up in surprise. Leaned against the doorway with a hand over his face, Jeff was smiling. Laff was dumbstruck and too surprised to move.

“L, leave it alone for now. Let’s just go get some lunch and forget about it for a while. Please?”

“Yeah, ok, whatever you want,” in his hurry Laff sent one of the side boards skittering across the floor but he ignored it in favor of his smiling Omega. A smile! He hadn’t seen a smile in weeks! “Sandwiches? Soup? I’ll call for pizza. I’ll hunt a moose. Whatever you want it’s yours.”

Jeff snorted. He let Laff crowd in close and pick him up in a bridal carry. He looped an arm around Laff’s neck to steady himself, “I want watermelon. With salt.”

“I’ll stalk and kill it with my own hands,” Laff promised. He nuzzled Jeff’s hair and breathed in deeply. Under the smell of sickness and soap and sweat, he could still catch the scent of oil and paint and metal that was his mate. 

“Damn right you will.”

 

\--

 

“You stink. You’re stinky. You’re like a cheese thats been aged in the basement and I’m going to call you Gorgonzola.” Toby loved bathtime. While Jeff dealt with the video conference with his hospital-issued therapist, Toby got to break out the baby bathtub and the bubbles and the toys and have fun.

Wet, soapy babies were very slippery, so Toby kept a pair of oven mitts nearby in case things got a little too excessive. He was pretty sure they’d help, they were textured in a waffle pattern.

And towels, lots of towels, ‘cause what was a bath without a lot of splashing? 

Bathtime passed, and snack time, and story time, and it was nap time but Jeff still hadn’t come down from the office. Doublechecking that the infant was truly asleep, Toby peeled himself off the floor and trotted (quietly) up the stairs. 

He cocked his head to the side to listen for voices, maybe it had been a super long session? But it was quiet. Padding down the hall he found the office door open and the room empty. 

“Jeff?”

Poking his head into the bedroom, nothing, and then the nursery, nothing, Toby started to feel anxious. There was a scent in the air that had his stomach knotting up as he continued down the hall.

“Jeff?”

The last door was the bathroom. He could hear rushing water like the sink had been turned on and left that way.

Toby knocked.

 

\--

 

When Tim realized Laff wasn’t going to get out of the car any time soon, he left the front porch and approached the vehicle. Softly, he rapped his knuckles on the window and waited for Laff to lift his head from the steering wheel. However, instead of getting out all Laff did was unlock the doors.

Tim wasn’t going to try dragging Laff out of the car, so he took the other option and joined Laff inside it. He left the passenger door open because it was a warm evening and the air felt nice.

“You want to talk about it?” Tim asked gently.

The hysterical phone call he’d gotten at the cafe had been hours ago, sending him sprinting home to find police cars and an ambulance and paramedics working desperately to stabilize the blood soaked Omega. Laff had shown up at his heels, just in time to dash into the ambulance before the doors slammed shut and the vehicle ran off screaming. 

Toby had cried himself to sleep, curled tightly around the infant in a nest of blankets and pillows. Brian had had to fight a bit to get him out of his bloodied clothes since Toby refused to put the infant down for a moment, but eventually all three were crammed into the hastily arranged nest.

Tim was too jittery to join them. Trusting that Brian had his eye on things, Tim prowled through the house and yard to soothe his nerves. 

And call Liu.

Jeff and Laff weren’t technically married. Bonded yes, but not married. This gave Liu certain right over his ‘unattached’ brother that might be needed later on if.. 

Laff made a sound that might have been an attempt at a laugh, but came out as a sob. “They’ve committed him, three days of observation and rest. They brought in his therapist and his doctors and I had to sit there and listen to them discuss what might have triggered it. As if they _don’t fucking know_.”

Tim stayed quiet, willing to just sit and listen if Laff needed him to. 

“Jeff died on the operating table, did you know that? When Jamie was born. His heart stopped in the middle of the surgery and it took almost two minutes to get him back. And then tonight one of the doctors.. one of the new ones.. asked me why we hadn’t tried getting a puppy instead.”

The leather steering wheel creaked as Laff’s hands twisted around, knuckles going white. “we never wanted this. Jeff never wanted this, and it literally killed him when they insisted, and this blonde bitch asks me why we didn’t get a _puppy_.”

“She still alive?”

Laff smiled bitterly. “She’s still on his team no less. But we got that referral for the guy in Germany, the one I told you about. I just.. we need passports. And a house-sitter. I need..”

“Hey, one thing at a time. Get Jeff home first. Figure it out as it comes. Toby has Jamie right now, he probably won’t be around till sometime in the morning. Unless you want him to babysit at our house for the next few days?”

Laff sighed, lifting a hand to rub his face. “Probably best if he does. I’m not in the best of places right now for a baby.”

Tim chewed on the side of his mouth, debating with himself. “We can handle him tonight, but what about tomorrow night? We don’t have a crib.”

“Tim, I don’t _care_. Raid the nursery. Strip it clean. Just keep him away from me right now. My bondmate just tried to kill himself and is currently locked up inside the psycho ward for god knows how long, furthering this whole nightmare of events. If getting rid of Jamie means Jeff can come home, I’d chuck him in the nearest river happily.”

“You can’t possibly mean that,” Tim’s jaw dropped at the harsh tone and harsher words. “He’s your son!”

“No, he’s a parasite that sucked away every bit of health and sanity Jeff had left.”

Tim let out a slow breathe, staring at the Alpha. He reminded himself that the baby was with Toby and perfectly safe and Tim should probably wait till things cooled off before bringing him up again. None of this was Jamie’s fault, it was their ridiculous and ancient medical system. 

He felt sick.

“Look, get some rest. Let us know when Jeff can have visitors, and we’ll pop by. Just.. get some rest, alright?”

“Yeah. Alright.” Sounding much more subdued now, Laff finally opened the driver side door. “See you tomorrow I suppose.”

“Tomorrow.” Tim watched him trudge up the walkway and let himself inside the dark house. “Fucking christ…” the Beta sighed before getting out of the car now and closed the door softly. His place was just across the street and down one, there were lights and he could hear music as he hit the front door.

Poor guy.

Poor kid.

 

\--

 

It was quite a crowd at the airport, Jeff tossing his head like an impatient horse as Laff and Tim double checked the baggage labels and made sure no errant bottles of water had tucked themselves into the carry-ons. 

Jeff had refused the option of a wheelchair, “not on your goddamn life,” and though he swayed on his feet occasionally, it was a relief to see he was back to being a stubborn ass. The last few weeks leading up to the trip had breathed new hope and life into him. 

Toby distracted the baby with a plush dog to keep him from crying at the amount of noise, both from the other travelers and the loudspeakers over head. The scents in the air were horrific, unwashed bodies and petroleum.

“I think you’re set,” Tim offered. “I can’t think of anything else.”

“Liu is watching the house, people should be by for the lawn care, mail has been put on hold…” Laff started down his checklist for the final time. “Tickets, passports, laptops... maps, guide books, medical documents..”

Jeff rolled his eyes as Laff trailed off into a mutter, and turned to Toby. He eyed the dark haired baby for a moment, then held out his arms.

Toby couldn’t stop himself from going rigid, smile dropping slightly. But what could he do? He hefted the infant off his shoulder and passed him over to the pale Omega. 

The baby and Jeff studied each other for a moment, the baby’s face slowly crumbling in confusion and leaning away from the Omega. Jeff’s nose wrinkled back. “Yeah.. ok. Just come see me when you’re old enough to hold a gun.”

With that and nothing more, he handed the baby back to a very relieved Toby. Looking towards his Alpha, Jeff rolled his eyes again. “For fucks sake L, if we’ve forgotten something we’ll just buy another when we get there!”

Laff held up his phone charger triumphantly. “Nope, found it!” Coming to Jeff’s side, he gazed at the baby snuggled into Toby’s neck. He reached out to run his fingers through the fine curls for the briefest of moments before turning away.

“Ready?”

Even Liu offered up a hug, which Jeff dutifully accepted. Who knew when they’d be back in the states after all. Finally, _finally_ , the pair headed off to the security checkpoint and Germany and, with fingers crossed, healing. 

Toby watched as, just before they were cut off by another crowd of people, Jeff and Laff reached out to each other and clasped hands. 

Toby would mourn the loss of his friend, but he had Jamie. It wouldn’t completely balance each other out, but it would help. Rubbing a hand over the baby’s back he let Tim push him towards the exit. “Think they’ll send presents?”

“God I hope not. They’re in Germany, can you imagine the stuff Jeff would send back just to fuck with us?” Brian muttered.

 

\--

 

“This is not how I expected my friday night to go,” Liu grumbled as he looked over the papers closely, reading every line of tiny print. “You’re sure this is what you want to do? Seriously sure? You can’t come back from this.”

Laff nodded. “It’s all set.”

Toby was practically vibrating in his chair, Tim and Brian to either side of him. “I’ve been taking care of him since he was two weeks old. He knows me, and I know him. And we’re neighbors, Liu! If the services take him, then you’d never know where he’d gone, right? This way you’ll get to see him and come to the birthday parties!”

Tim put a hand on Toby’s shoulder in a vain attempt to calm him. “We’ve considered it very carefully. Not just for us, but for Jeff. He knows he can trust us to take care of Jamie and he can focus on getting better.”

Liu got to the last page and picked up the pen. He played with it for a moment, spinning it between his fingers. “Jack?”

Laff rubbed the back of his neck. “I never planned for kids, Jeff was all I ever wanted. Jamie deserves better than what we can give him, time and attention and all that. If later on he wants to talk to us.. we’ll deal with it. Right now I just _can’t_. Jeff is so fragile right now.”

Liu grimaced. He sat up now and signed the marked line carefully. One.. two.. three… How fucked up was it that he, the estranged elder brother, had to be the one to sign off on the adoption? As the so-called Head of the Family and Laff the Alpha Father, Jeff wasn’t even required to be present for the final decision.

“Then you’re good to go.”

Laff wilted to the table top like a puppet whose strings had been cut. He felt months, years, of stress melt off his shoulders and he nearly sobbed from relief. He heard Toby say something and the anxious tone made Laff look up. Blinking back tears, he smiled at the Omega. 

“No no, I’m not regretting it. He’s all yours and you’re going to do a great job. I wouldn’t have picked anyone else. I just wasn’t prepared for the rush of.. emotions.”

Laff stood up and moved around the kitchen table. He pulled Toby up out of his seat and hugged him tightly with the most sincere “ _thank you_ ,” of his life.

 

\--

 

Laughing Jack peeled the gloves off his hands and tossed them into the garbage pail. “Just remember to keep it clean, moisturize, and don’t go swimming for about a week or so.”

The woman beamed at him, shirt pulled down to expose her shoulder. The thin plastic wrap didn’t obscure the brilliantly orange and yellow octopus wrapped over it, the freshly tattooed skin slightly red but otherwise perfect.

“You’re amazing! I’ll definitely be back for my next one!”

Laff laughed. “Six months then? I’ll pencil you in.”

Seeing her off, Laff returned to the front desk to meet up with his next appointment. Just a consultation, but those could be fun too! He liked helping someone pick out a first tattoo or design an addition to an existing one.

“Hi! I’m Laughing Jack, you must be Jeff?” 

The faintly sweet scent of Omega hit him at the same time he looked up from the clipboard. It was at complete odds with the head-to-toe combat gear and the glare Laff was getting from the prettiest blue eyes he’d ever seen.

“...how can I help you?”

“I’m looking for something small. Like a bullet or something.”

“Ok, let me grab my book and we can get started. Are you single?”


End file.
